Center for Professional Responsibility – Lead Senior Counsel

Job Summary/General Purpose of Job

• Serves as primary legal counsel and provides legal policy guidance to ABA entities and exercises department management duties within Division. Serves as national legal expert in the field of legal and judicial ethics and professional responsibility law. Provides expertise to ABA governance, ABA entities, state, local, national and international legal community. Develops controlling legal policy and substantive legal resources to ensure and enhance the Association’s continued status as the preeminent leader and legal authority in professional responsibility law.

Essential Job Functions and Responsibilities (listed in order of importance and/or time spent)

• Provides legal expertise and policy guidance to ABA governance and ABA entities in developing, interpreting, and implementing the nation’s legal policy governing the regulation of the legal profession and judiciary.
• Conducts legal research and provides critical legal analysis and expertise to the state and federal judiciaries and regulatory entities, and to state, federal and international government agencies and organizations regarding the interpretation and implementation of the Association’s legal policies governing the legal profession and the judiciary.
• Develops substantive legal resources to ensure and enhance the Association’s continued status as the preeminent legal authority in legal and judicial ethics, professional responsibility law and professional regulation. Independent research and writing are basic to the position, including articles on professional responsibility for publications.
• Provides legal expertise and analysis to lawyers, judges, the public, and media in response to voluminous inquiries through scholarly publications, periodicals, reports, consultations, and legal research services.
• Serves as primary legal counsel and provides legal policy guidance to ABA entities and related organizations and agencies in the field of professional responsibility.
• Oversee departmental legal policy, projects, program planning and execution and lead strategic planning in their area of coverage.
• Performs other related duties as required.

Required Education, Qualifications, Experience

• Possession of a Juris Doctorate degree from an ABA-accredited law school.
• A minimum of twelve years of significant professional legal experience in legal policy development, advocacy and scholarship for an organizational entity involved in professional regulation; with willingness to develop additional expertise in relevant subject-matters.
• Well-developed and demonstrated skills in supervising professionals, editing on a peer basis, and interacting with leaders of the profession.
• Proficiency in Word, Adobe products, PowerPoint, and Excel required.
• Member in good standing in possession of an active license to practice law in the State of Illinois, or eligible to obtain admission in Illinois via Illinois Supreme Court Rule 705 Admission on Motion.

Preferred Education, Qualifications, Experience

• Significant knowledge of professional responsibility law is preferred. Knowledge of professional associations with experience in organizational and program development is a plus.
• Public speaking experience a plus. The lawyer in this position must be able to work both independently and in a collaborative team environment.

Physical Requirements

• Typical office work environment.

Extent of Travel Required in the Job

• As a normal course of business, this job will typically require travel of less than 15% of the time.

American Bar Association